


Fight Song

by ChillyHollow



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Arguing, Co-workers, Eventual Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25446676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow
Summary: I've been writing a series of short stories revolving around scenarios of how Strike and Ellacott become romantically involved.  This is the second.
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Fight Song

Charlotte was so lovely.Robin had never seen a woman so beautiful, so alluring.Charlotte had glided into their shabby little office like a swan sailing over the surface of a mossy pond, ignoring her entirely and headed straight for Strike, like a dart heading for a target.He’d greeted her with reserve but he had left the office with her, much to Robin’s despair.Didn’t he realize how bad for him she was?

He hadn’t even told Robin when he’d be back, he was that mesmerized.She stomped around the office, wishing there was something she could do to break Charlotte’s spell.She tried to concentrate on work, but it was hard when you were imagining what your boss and his ex might be getting up to.Her only consolation was that they hadn’t gone up to his flat over the offices.She had heard them going down the iron stairs and then the bang of the exterior door.Of course that meant it was likely that they were headed to her flat instead of his.Robin had seen the outside of Charlotte’s Holland Park flat.It was expensive and luxurious and lovely, like Charlotte herself.She tried not to imagine Strike naked in Charlotte’s bed, which was probably made with expensive high thread count sheets from France, not High Street sets like the ones Robin bought on sale.

Robin sat grinding her teeth, trying to settle herself.She finally made a cup of tea and was about to drink it when Matthew showed up unexpectedly.They were taking a break from each other, trying to see if their relationship was worth saving, whether they actually missed each other.He looked handsome, neat as a pin, and of course he was well dressed in his suit and tie.There couldn’t be a greater contrast with Robin’s boss, who was not handsome and who rarely wore a suit.

Matt asked her to lunch, and since she wasn’t getting any work done, she decided to go eat with him.She locked up the office and followed Matt down the iron stairs and out onto the street.They went to a small sandwich place where they ordered smoked turkey sandwiches on rye.Matt was conciliatory and polite, very attentive.Robin thought that if he’d been like this during their marriage she probably wouldn’t have walked out.But it was too late.She’d already decided that she wasn’t going to be Mrs. Matthew Cunliffe any more.She’d told Matt this several times but he obviously didn’t believe her.She let him pay for her lunch and walk her back to the office.She wasn’t going to have a scene at the office or out in public. 

Strike was standing on the sidewalk, smoking before going back to the office, when he saw Robin walking down the street with her ex.Cunliffe was handsome in his neat suit, smirking because he was making headway in getting Robin back.Didn’t she know how poisonous a toad he was?Robin couldn’t be Robin with that man.And Strike’s professional opinion was that once a cheater, always a cheater.He ground out his cigarette under his heel, trying to control his temper.It wasn’t his business, after all.They only worked together.He saw Cunliffe hold the office door open for Robin and bend to kiss her goodbye.He ground his teeth but he waited until Cunliffe turned away and disappeared down the road, whistling, before heading back to his office. 

Robin was just washed up her tea things when she heard the uneven step of her boss on the stairs.She turned with the tea towel and mug in her hand to see him scowling at her.She set everything down and glared back, unsettled by her lunch with Matthew and resentful that Strike was in a bad mood.What had Charlotte done or said to cause this?Obviously they hadn’t gone to her flat after all.Perhaps they’d had a fight before they even got there.“What?” she said.

“Thought you were not going back to Cunliffe.”

“And what business is it of yours?” she shot back.Because it wasn’t.It really wasn’t.“After all, your ex just swanned out of here with you following her like a lost puppy dog.” 

“And that’s your business why?”

“Because I’m your friend and she’s a harpy.”Robin glared at him.

“As opposed to your ex who is a handsome self-centered git who will cheat on you again the moment you turn your back?”He glared back at her.“Anyone with any sense would see that he’s poison.”

“Oh, I have no sense, have I? Says the man who is getting back together with a harpy who will lie and cheat on him faster than Matthew will on me.”

He glared at her.She glared at him.Strike took a step closer to her.She noticed he didn’t deny Charlotte was a harpy or that he was getting back with her.Was he just so eager to get in bed with an exceptionally good-looking woman?He hadn’t dated anyone in a while, she’d noticed that.Of course they were insanely busy most of the time, especially weekends.

“At least Charlotte’s a good lay.I doubt Matthew is.”

“None of your business,” Robin blushed.He realized after he’d said it that Robin probably had never slept with anyone else so she’d not realize her ex’s failings in the bedroom.He was sure Matthew had plenty.The self-centered were rarely great in bed as they lacked the interest in others necessary to be truly sexy. 

“At least I’m pretty sure Matthew has not slept with every rich or well-connected person in London,” she shot back in revenge. 

“Not much of a ladies man, then?”He sneered. 

“Unlike you!” she snapped. 

He stepped even closer, the better to talk at her, she supposed.“I never cheated on a woman.I’m not the world’s greatest at relationships but I never ever cheated.”

“Good for you,” she glared at him.“Too bad you don’t show more judgment when it comes to choosing girlfriends.”

“You should talk.Going back to that moron is about the stupidest thing you could do, Ellacott.”

“Going back to that harpy tops anything I might do.At least Matt’s not crazy.”

They glared at each other again.Then Robin burst into tears of angry frustration.Strike was flabbergasted.“Robin!” he said.“Don’t cry.”He fumbled for the box of tissues on her desk and grabbed a handful.“Please don’t cry.”

He tried to push tissues into her hand and she shoved him away.“Don’t.Don’t!” she sobbed.He gathered her into his arms and she let him.He kissed her hair, then when she turned a tear-stained face up to him, he kissed her lips.In a sudden frenzy they were kissing each other, his hands cupping her face and hers holding his shirt front tight. 

“Tell me you aren’t going back to her,” she whispered. 

“Of course not.I’m not a fool, Robin.Well, not that much of a fool.Are you going back to Matthew?”

“Course not.You are right, he’d just cheat on me again.He won’t take no for an answer, though, so I let him buy me lunch just to get rid of him without a fight.I don’t want any more scenes.I hate scenes.”

“Me, too,” he said, after kissing her again.“I just wanted Charlotte out of the office.She’s capable of destroying files and making a mess of the place if I don’t get her away from the office, just out of spite.”

“You aren’t going back to her?”

“Course not.I’m in love with someone else.”

“You are?”

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m in love with you.But we work together so….”

“I don’t care,” she said.

“You know, right now I don’t either.”

They stood close, their arms around each other, feeling the racing heartbeats of each other.  
  
“Cormoran?”

“What?”

“Can we knock off work early today?”

“Why?”

“I want to spend the rest of the day kissing you.”

“We can do that.My place is just upstairs, you know.”

“I know.”

“No more fighting?”

“No more fighting.” 

“Good.I don’t like fighting with you.We’re partners, you know.”

“I know.For a business partner, you kiss good, Cormoran.I was just jealous of Charlotte.”

“Thanks.I like how you kiss, too, and I was jealous of Matthew.I’ll be a lot better to you than he ever was.”

“I’ll treat you better than Charlotte did, promise.Let’s go to your flat.”

This wasn’t the first time—or the last—those two had a fight, but it was the most memorable.That fight precipitated their love affair.


End file.
